Overview

I became homeless after I got out of the Army and began walking twenty plus miles each day to look for work. I then realized how much hiking and being outdoors seemed to improve my symptoms of PTSD, so I decided to walk across America. To help keep me motivated, I began supporting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Alone and unsupported, I traveled all over the country for three years, claiming 5,000 miles on a bike and 5,000 miles on foot. My knees finally collapsed after reaching my 10,000th mile and I was diagnosed with cancer. Still homeless and unable to walk, I lived in the woods behind the hospital for six months while receiving treatment. To pass the time, I decided to write a book about my journey.

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Reviews

A travelogue written by a U.S. Army veteran struggling with PTSD and bipolar disorder. Finding himself unemployed and homeless, Jake sells all his possessions and decides he will walk across America while raising money for various charities, including St. Jude's Hospital. Uncomfortable in busy, densely populated areas Jake tries to stick to backroads and small towns. Along the way, he copes with being mistaken for a homeless vagrant, a potential troublemaker, is harassed by police and people who judge only the book's cover and never look inside. These experiences are balanced with many encounters with kind strangers, as well as followers of his blog who meet up with him, offer him food, drink, care packages, entertainment and respite from the fatigue of the long journey. Skilled in wood craft Jake camps, hunts, fishes and uses his Army training to be as self-sufficient as possible. Even during his darkest days of depression, as he contemplates suicide, his honesty and integrity shine through, and you feel as though you are listening to a dear friend unburdening their heart to you. A remarkable book, by a remarkable man, who has travelled 10,000 miles by bicycle and on foot, across America and is not yet 30 years old. I hope the coming years bring him the health, peace, and happiness he deserves. Very well written and I couldn't bear to put the book down. It was extremely tense and I could feel the struggles, despair, hope and the rest of the powerful, heady mix of emotions vividly. The ending almost brought me to tears. It wasn't a simple, sweet ending of the triumph of the human spirit, but more poignant... you wonder at the presumptions and motivations of people in extreme situations, the hidden facets of human nature that's only revealed under extreme duress, and what continues to drive survivors to go back to such dangerous (though thrilling) situations. This was a great read! Jake's travels and adventures are incredible! Hoping for a Part II! Being an avid hiker and outdoor enthusiast of every kind I found the realism of Jakes accounts to be refreshing. I greatly enjoyed the real life humor mixed in with the stories told that take place upon meeting strangers that most people would be too embarrassed to express. The day to day adventures and the real world account of Jakes life with Mental Health ups and downs were respected and appreciated. His first hand, honest accounts are beneficial to me as a provider of services. The stories are short and the travels are long. It does take a few chapters to get into Jakes style of writing but so worth it. It's a great read for hikers, cross country travelers, mental health providers and professors in the military to civilian course studies! Good read! Very seldom do I ever pick up a book, much less read it from cover to cover. This one sucked me in!

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